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<blockquote data-quote="jayoungr" data-source="post: 6885393" data-attributes="member: 6702445"><p><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>Chapter 4</strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Hiring Out</strong></p><p></p><p>The infiltration plan went off without a hitch. Aravax Foxtraveler had never met the cultists whom the party had captured on the river, so he suspected nothing when the PCs showed up at his shop pretending to be them. He told them to join the next caravan headed north to Waterdeep. The cultists would be mixed in with (and posing as) legitimate travelers so as not to attract notice.</p><p></p><p>They had one day to get themselves into the caravan before it was to leave, so they went to the north gate to see whether they could get jobs as guards. The scene there was chaotic, with at least twenty wagon owners looking over prospective employees. They spotted some familiar faces from the Hasty Wizard: Sulesdeg, the tall young man; Orvustia Esseren, the farm girl; Eldkin Agetul, the dwarf; and Enom Tobun, the halfling, who immediately recognized Atex as his drinking buddy from the night before.</p><p></p><p>With a little help from Enom, both Atex and Landin secured well-paying jobs with Oyn Evenmor, a rather grouchy merchant who was hauling a wagon full of rare birds. Landin was to be his personal bodyguard, and Atex was to care for the birds. Aric didn't fare so well: for only half their rate of pay, he was hired by Achenry Ulyeltin, a foul-smelling fur merchant. And Ariana landed a job working alongside Sulesdeg. Their employer was Edhelri Lewel, a moon elf with a cargo of exotic wood from a faraway jungle.</p><p></p><p>The caravan was to leave at dawn the next day. On their last night, Atex decided to go out on the town. He stayed out all night but showed up, bright-eyed and with jingling pockets, on time for departure. Little did they know as they left town that his exploits were being remembered and retold with awe in the taverns of Baldur's Gate!</p><p></p><p><strong>The Caravan</strong></p><p></p><p>So the group set out on the long trip to Waterdeep. They knew that cultists carrying treasure were mixed in with the caravan, but they didn't know who they might be. Could Lasfelro, the gloomy-looking guy with the gargoyle chained to his wagon, be one? Nyerhite Verther, the silk merchant? Lai Angesstun, the dwarf hauling cooking oil and perfume? Samardag the Hoper, with his cargo of fragile porcelain? Noohar and Selvek, the moon elf brothers with their wagon full of woodcarvings? Grisella and Whelgar, the newlyweds with the cow walking behind their wagon? Lodar, with the load of hay? Oyn? Edhelri? Achenry? And what about the caravan master, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Beyd Sechepol?</p><p></p><p>Aric started his investigation by asking his employer what sort of ale he liked best. "Do you like <em>black</em> ale?" he said with a significant look. "Or maybe <em>green</em> ale? Or <em>red</em> ale?"</p><p></p><p>Achenry shrugged. "Ale's good. I like 'em all. Buy you some later."</p><p></p><p>"I always prefer the flavor of <em>five ales mixed together,</em> don't you?"</p><p></p><p>"Take what I can get. As long as it gets me drunk."</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Ariana was having a little success at getting to know Sulesdeg. He was pretty quiet at first, but when he happened to make a chance remark about how green the landscape was, Ariana took the opportunity to start a conversation about their desert homelands. This got him to open up a bit.</p><p></p><p>From his place on Oyn Evenmor's wagon, Landin could see Ariana and Sulesdeg chatting. He moped helplessly while Atex blithely tried to console him: "Oh, it's not so bad. She's probably just doing that to be nice. We've got a long way to travel, you know."</p><p></p><p>When they stopped for the evening meal, Orvustia sought out Ariana. "You're an adventurer, aren't you?" she asked rather breathlessly.</p><p></p><p>"I suppose you could say that."</p><p></p><p>"And you were with a group, weren't you, in the tavern the other day? I think I saw you there."</p><p></p><p>"I was traveling with some other people for a little while, yes," Ariana admitted cautiously.</p><p></p><p>"So you're not really a group?"</p><p></p><p>"We're ... all doing our own thing now."</p><p></p><p>"Well, what I wanted to know--" Orvustia looked embarrassed and lowered her voice. "Your friend--the blond guy--is he a paladin?"</p><p></p><p>"No, I'm afraid not."</p><p></p><p>Orvustia looked pleased. "So he hasn't taken any kind of--of vow or anything?"</p><p></p><p>Ariana shook her head. Orvustia thanked Ariana excitedly and then excused herself, as Eldkin was beckoning to her--no doubt to show her how to do something else "properly." (They had been hired by Lai Angesstun.)</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, the caravan master had let down the wagon tongue on his vehicle, revealing that it converted into a fully stocked bar. He immediately started doing brisk business selling ale and other drinks. Determined to solve one mystery, at least, Landin asked him directly about his resemblance to the half-elf who had ferried them down the river. "Oh, you've met Beyd? He's my twin brother! Let me introduce myself--I'm Reyd Sechepol." He went on to explain that they often coordinated transport of cargo and passengers all the way from Waterdeep to Scornubel and added, "Hey, for any friend of Beyd's, the first mug is free!"</p><p></p><p>Landin accepted a free ale, as did Atex. (Enom Tobun tried to get a free ale as well, but Reyd told him he'd already had his "free first drink" three trips ago.) They all sat down, and Landin was beginning to soothe his wounded feelings with the stronger-than-usual drink when they saw Ariana approaching them. "I'm over her," Landin muttered, but Atex urged him in a stage whisper to talk to her. Landin and Ariana made awkward small talk, and she bought him another drink. He accepted somewhat grudgingly, once again largely due to Atex's encouragement.</p><p></p><p><strong>Hay Is for ... Cultists?</strong></p><p></p><p>The first several days of travel were quiet, with beautiful weather, as they passed through the green, rolling countryside that had been the site of so many battles in centuries before. During this time, the PCs learned the names of the others in their caravan but made no progress on discovering who was hauling the stolen treasure.</p><p></p><p>They questioned Enom Tobun to learn which of the other travelers had made the trip before. Enom said that, besides Reyd Sechepol, he'd seen Samardag, Achenry, Eldkin, and Sulesdeg on previous trips. It seemed safe to rule them out.</p><p></p><p>Lodar attracted their suspicions, though; why would anyone transport hay all the way to Waterdeep? He was selling the hay to anyone who needed it, but it was so cheap that he surely couldn't be making a profit on the trip. So the group decided to make him their first target of investigation. One night when Atex was on watch, he sent his <em>mage hand</em> to dig through the cart. He found some crates well concealed in the hay, although they were nailed shut, so he couldn't confirm what was in them.</p><p></p><p>The PCs decided to buy hay for all their horses from Lodar every day. They figured they'd see what he did when his supply started getting low. "I might start eating hay myself!" said Atex jovially as he paid for his purchase.</p><p></p><p><strong>Stranded!</strong></p><p></p><p>One day, as they passed through a sparsely wooded area, they happened across an upturned cart with two dead horses next to it. A merchant and her two guards were sheltering underneath with crossbows and barely managing to hold off the hobgoblins who were attacking them. The caravan guards immediately ran to the rescue. Atex flushed the hobgoblins out of hiding by setting fire to their cover with <em>scorching ray,</em> while Ariana used her <em>boots of speed</em> to dash forward and attack.</p><p></p><p>With some difficulty, they drove off the hobgoblins. The merchant and her guards came out of hiding and surveyed their cargo. They had been hauling cider; four good casks remained, as well as one that had been broken in the fray and was now gushing onto the ground. Since no one had any horses to sell, the merchant asked if someone could take her and her cargo to the next town. Landin slyly suggested that Lodar could unload some of his hay and give her a ride; with a glare, Lodar said he'd make his own decisions about his cart. Then Reyd Sechepol pushed forward and offered to take the merchant in exchange for a portion of her cargo.</p><p></p><p>While they retired to discuss terms, the PCs noticed that Orvustia was looking shaken. They guessed this had probably been her first serious combat. Eldkin patted her back. "You need a stiff drink, lass," she said, and filled a mug for her from the leaking keg. That gave other bystanders an idea, and they all started to cluster around. Landin bought the damaged keg from the merchant, and there was free cider for everyone.</p><p></p><p>"Now, <em>how many colors of cider are there?"</em> asked Aric.</p><p></p><p></p><p><em>DM Notes: The group found the cow hilarious. Although it never did anything but walk behind the newlyweds' wagon and give milk, they called it the Tiacow and insisted it was a cult sympathizer.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Notice how smoothly I covered up for using Beyd Sechepol's name prematurely!</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jayoungr, post: 6885393, member: 6702445"] [SIZE=5][B]Chapter 4[/B][/SIZE] [B]Hiring Out[/B] The infiltration plan went off without a hitch. Aravax Foxtraveler had never met the cultists whom the party had captured on the river, so he suspected nothing when the PCs showed up at his shop pretending to be them. He told them to join the next caravan headed north to Waterdeep. The cultists would be mixed in with (and posing as) legitimate travelers so as not to attract notice. They had one day to get themselves into the caravan before it was to leave, so they went to the north gate to see whether they could get jobs as guards. The scene there was chaotic, with at least twenty wagon owners looking over prospective employees. They spotted some familiar faces from the Hasty Wizard: Sulesdeg, the tall young man; Orvustia Esseren, the farm girl; Eldkin Agetul, the dwarf; and Enom Tobun, the halfling, who immediately recognized Atex as his drinking buddy from the night before. With a little help from Enom, both Atex and Landin secured well-paying jobs with Oyn Evenmor, a rather grouchy merchant who was hauling a wagon full of rare birds. Landin was to be his personal bodyguard, and Atex was to care for the birds. Aric didn't fare so well: for only half their rate of pay, he was hired by Achenry Ulyeltin, a foul-smelling fur merchant. And Ariana landed a job working alongside Sulesdeg. Their employer was Edhelri Lewel, a moon elf with a cargo of exotic wood from a faraway jungle. The caravan was to leave at dawn the next day. On their last night, Atex decided to go out on the town. He stayed out all night but showed up, bright-eyed and with jingling pockets, on time for departure. Little did they know as they left town that his exploits were being remembered and retold with awe in the taverns of Baldur's Gate! [B]The Caravan[/B] So the group set out on the long trip to Waterdeep. They knew that cultists carrying treasure were mixed in with the caravan, but they didn't know who they might be. Could Lasfelro, the gloomy-looking guy with the gargoyle chained to his wagon, be one? Nyerhite Verther, the silk merchant? Lai Angesstun, the dwarf hauling cooking oil and perfume? Samardag the Hoper, with his cargo of fragile porcelain? Noohar and Selvek, the moon elf brothers with their wagon full of woodcarvings? Grisella and Whelgar, the newlyweds with the cow walking behind their wagon? Lodar, with the load of hay? Oyn? Edhelri? Achenry? And what about the caravan master, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Beyd Sechepol? Aric started his investigation by asking his employer what sort of ale he liked best. "Do you like [I]black[/I] ale?" he said with a significant look. "Or maybe [I]green[/I] ale? Or [I]red[/I] ale?" Achenry shrugged. "Ale's good. I like 'em all. Buy you some later." "I always prefer the flavor of [I]five ales mixed together,[/I] don't you?" "Take what I can get. As long as it gets me drunk." Meanwhile, Ariana was having a little success at getting to know Sulesdeg. He was pretty quiet at first, but when he happened to make a chance remark about how green the landscape was, Ariana took the opportunity to start a conversation about their desert homelands. This got him to open up a bit. From his place on Oyn Evenmor's wagon, Landin could see Ariana and Sulesdeg chatting. He moped helplessly while Atex blithely tried to console him: "Oh, it's not so bad. She's probably just doing that to be nice. We've got a long way to travel, you know." When they stopped for the evening meal, Orvustia sought out Ariana. "You're an adventurer, aren't you?" she asked rather breathlessly. "I suppose you could say that." "And you were with a group, weren't you, in the tavern the other day? I think I saw you there." "I was traveling with some other people for a little while, yes," Ariana admitted cautiously. "So you're not really a group?" "We're ... all doing our own thing now." "Well, what I wanted to know--" Orvustia looked embarrassed and lowered her voice. "Your friend--the blond guy--is he a paladin?" "No, I'm afraid not." Orvustia looked pleased. "So he hasn't taken any kind of--of vow or anything?" Ariana shook her head. Orvustia thanked Ariana excitedly and then excused herself, as Eldkin was beckoning to her--no doubt to show her how to do something else "properly." (They had been hired by Lai Angesstun.) Meanwhile, the caravan master had let down the wagon tongue on his vehicle, revealing that it converted into a fully stocked bar. He immediately started doing brisk business selling ale and other drinks. Determined to solve one mystery, at least, Landin asked him directly about his resemblance to the half-elf who had ferried them down the river. "Oh, you've met Beyd? He's my twin brother! Let me introduce myself--I'm Reyd Sechepol." He went on to explain that they often coordinated transport of cargo and passengers all the way from Waterdeep to Scornubel and added, "Hey, for any friend of Beyd's, the first mug is free!" Landin accepted a free ale, as did Atex. (Enom Tobun tried to get a free ale as well, but Reyd told him he'd already had his "free first drink" three trips ago.) They all sat down, and Landin was beginning to soothe his wounded feelings with the stronger-than-usual drink when they saw Ariana approaching them. "I'm over her," Landin muttered, but Atex urged him in a stage whisper to talk to her. Landin and Ariana made awkward small talk, and she bought him another drink. He accepted somewhat grudgingly, once again largely due to Atex's encouragement. [B]Hay Is for ... Cultists?[/B] The first several days of travel were quiet, with beautiful weather, as they passed through the green, rolling countryside that had been the site of so many battles in centuries before. During this time, the PCs learned the names of the others in their caravan but made no progress on discovering who was hauling the stolen treasure. They questioned Enom Tobun to learn which of the other travelers had made the trip before. Enom said that, besides Reyd Sechepol, he'd seen Samardag, Achenry, Eldkin, and Sulesdeg on previous trips. It seemed safe to rule them out. Lodar attracted their suspicions, though; why would anyone transport hay all the way to Waterdeep? He was selling the hay to anyone who needed it, but it was so cheap that he surely couldn't be making a profit on the trip. So the group decided to make him their first target of investigation. One night when Atex was on watch, he sent his [I]mage hand[/I] to dig through the cart. He found some crates well concealed in the hay, although they were nailed shut, so he couldn't confirm what was in them. The PCs decided to buy hay for all their horses from Lodar every day. They figured they'd see what he did when his supply started getting low. "I might start eating hay myself!" said Atex jovially as he paid for his purchase. [B]Stranded![/B] One day, as they passed through a sparsely wooded area, they happened across an upturned cart with two dead horses next to it. A merchant and her two guards were sheltering underneath with crossbows and barely managing to hold off the hobgoblins who were attacking them. The caravan guards immediately ran to the rescue. Atex flushed the hobgoblins out of hiding by setting fire to their cover with [I]scorching ray,[/I] while Ariana used her [I]boots of speed[/I] to dash forward and attack. With some difficulty, they drove off the hobgoblins. The merchant and her guards came out of hiding and surveyed their cargo. They had been hauling cider; four good casks remained, as well as one that had been broken in the fray and was now gushing onto the ground. Since no one had any horses to sell, the merchant asked if someone could take her and her cargo to the next town. Landin slyly suggested that Lodar could unload some of his hay and give her a ride; with a glare, Lodar said he'd make his own decisions about his cart. Then Reyd Sechepol pushed forward and offered to take the merchant in exchange for a portion of her cargo. While they retired to discuss terms, the PCs noticed that Orvustia was looking shaken. They guessed this had probably been her first serious combat. Eldkin patted her back. "You need a stiff drink, lass," she said, and filled a mug for her from the leaking keg. That gave other bystanders an idea, and they all started to cluster around. Landin bought the damaged keg from the merchant, and there was free cider for everyone. "Now, [I]how many colors of cider are there?"[/I] asked Aric. [I]DM Notes: The group found the cow hilarious. Although it never did anything but walk behind the newlyweds' wagon and give milk, they called it the Tiacow and insisted it was a cult sympathizer.[/I] [I] Notice how smoothly I covered up for using Beyd Sechepol's name prematurely![/I] [/QUOTE]
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